Running pay-per-click (PPC) or other paid ad campaigns can be a tricky business. Many amateur digital marketers, however, make it sound so simple: Choose your target keywords, write text ads, decide on bids, input credit card information, click “go” and wait for your business phone to ring. Unfortunately, this rarely works — and you’ll probably lose hundreds of dollars on this zero-strategy campaign. After all, as Sun Tzu teaches us about battle, “tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
- Get The Most Out Of The Headlines: The character count for paid ads was previously 25 for the headline and 35 for each of the two description lines (better known as the 25-35-35 rule). Now, Google has gifted us with the additional 45 characters; ads can have two 30-character headlines and one consolidated 80-character description line (30-30-80).
- Display Benefits Over Features: Here’s a classic battle in any type of marketing: benefits versus features. In the digital marketing world, many companies fail to use their AdWords budget efficiently simply because their ads focus more on product features — and even worse, they aren’t aware they’re doing it.
- Use Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs): Many people bundle more than 10 keywords in a single ad group merely because those keywords fit a common theme and they are led to believe they can achieve a stronger message match by doing so. Message match is when the search terms highly match the words within the ad. When you achieve a message match, your ad becomes instantly more relevant than the other ads on the search engine results page.
While we’re not experts on Sun Tzu’s Art of War, we are rather experienced in paid search marketing and SEO campaigns. In the digital marketing arena, utilizing paid ads or display ads is a tactic that can be effective in the hands of the right craftsperson. Writing ad texts using the correct strategies, for instance, can drive more conversions than before.
When writing ad copies, your mission is to grab the attention of the searchers, provide them the information they need, and eventually persuade them to click on the ad. But what are the strategies you need to employ to achieve that?
Get The Most Out Of The Headlines
The character count for paid ads was previously 25 for the headline and 35 for each of the two description lines (better known as the 25-35-35 rule). Now, Google has gifted us with the additional 45 characters; ads can have two 30-character headlines and one consolidated 80-character description line (30-30-80).
We can’t stress enough that the headlines are the most significant part of your text ads. After all, they look bigger than the description lines, so of course, the users will likely focus on them. So where to put your promo? Headlines. Where to write your value proposition? Headlines. Where should you include the targeted keywords? Headlines. Now that you have two headlines, you have more space for the most important messages you want to deliver. The description lines still include relevant details that could be useful to searchers but you should always remember that the headlines lead the charge to get that click.
Display Benefits Over Features
Here’s a classic battle in any type of marketing: benefits versus features. In the digital marketing world, many companies fail to use their AdWords budget efficiently simply because their ads focus more on product features — and even worse, they aren’t aware they’re doing it.
Let’s go back to “Marketing 101” for a bit. When your ad says that your retail store is open 24 hours, you’re merely describing the store. But when you say that at your store, customers can buy products at any time, you’re answering the searcher’s question, “What’s in it for me?” You’re giving a solution to their need. Features only show what the product can do but benefits show what the product can do for the customers.
While most marketers already know this, many still get confused between these two words. To employ the benefit-focused ad strategy, always put yourself in the shoes of the customers. Check if your ad answers, “What’s in it for me?” and if it doesn’t, revise the ad copy until you satisfy the customer in you. Never forget this: Features tell but benefits sell.
Use Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs)
Many people bundle more than 10 keywords in a single ad group merely because those keywords fit a common theme and they are led to believe they can achieve a stronger message match by doing so. Message match is when the search terms highly match the words within the ad. When you achieve a message match, your ad becomes instantly more relevant than the other ads on the search engine results page.
By simply sticking with one keyword per ad group, you can control the message match between that keyword and the texts in your ad. You can yield better results as only one keyword triggers a specific ad. This is more efficient than bidding on too many keywords for a single ad. And with SKAGs, you can write more strategic, keyword-focused ad texts. Once you master it, you will enjoy the benefit of lower cost per click — it’s a matter of quality over quantity.
Sun Tzu may be the most famous military strategist in the world, but in the digital arena, anyone can be a paid ad strategist. It all boils down to researching and employing the ad writing strategies that can drive more conversions than your competitor’s ads, or simply put, mastering the art of ad copy war.